Posted!

Join the Conversation

Comments

Welcome to our new and improved comments, which are for subscribers only.
This is a test to see whether we can improve the experience for you.
You do not need a Facebook profile to participate.

You will need to register before adding a comment.
Typed comments will be lost if you are not logged in.

Please be polite.
It's OK to disagree with someone's ideas, but personal attacks, insults, threats, hate speech, advocating violence and other violations can result in a ban.
If you see comments in violation of our community guidelines, please report them.

Lone Tree baseball ready for substate

They were facing one of the best teams in Class 1A, a team they already lost to once earlier in the season.

They were going up against an ace pitcher who allowed only seven runs all summer with a fastball reaching 91 mph.

No matter.

The Lone Tree baseball team outdueled Pekin 3-1 Saturday in a Class 1A district final, the second district championship in a row for the Lions (18-9). Ross Swinton and Erik Murry combined for a two-hitter while Lone Tree tallied three runs on four hits against Pekin ace Keaton Winn, who had allowed only seven runs and struck out 74 in 47 2/3 innings entering Saturday's action.

"Keaton Winn is one of the best pitchers in the state," Lone Tree coach Steve Gibson said. "We knew we couldn't just wait around and expect to score a lot of runs. The game plan was to take advantage of opportunities we had. … We did what we had to do to beat that team."

Lone Tree carries a clear ace of its own, and that's critical in the postseason. The Lions play Van Buren (28-0) in a substate final at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Fairfield.

Murry is a stalwart on the mound.

The senior right-hander appeared in all three district contests last week, defeating Sigourney and Highland and picking up the save over Pekin. Murry is 7-2 with a 2.06 ERA this season. He's walked 33 and struck out 114 in 68 innings. Opponents are hitting a paltry .128.

The 114 punch-outs are the fifth-most in the state.

"It's a luxury to have Erik," Gibson said. "He's a workhorse. I can't say enough. I've used probably every adjective to describe him. He's been our rock for the last two years."

Now, Lone Tree preps for the only undefeated team in the state in Van Buren. The Warriors last lost on July 19, 2014.

Can Gibson's club stop the 28-game win streak?

"They're a deep team," Gibson said. "You don't go 28-0 without being talented and well-coached, either. The formula for us to win (Tuesday) night is going to have to be very similar to Saturday."

Lone Tree struggled offensively throughout the season, but with strong pitching and defense, that may not matter much at this stage in the season. Runs aren't necessarily at a premium if the Lions sustain that model.

Lone Tree is 16-1 this season when it scores three or more runs.

"That's just the team we are," Gibson said. "We ride on our pitching and defense."

Reach Matt Cozzi at mcozzi@press-citizen.com or 319-887-5409, and follow him on Twitter at @matt_cozzi